The way is clear

Posted by The CEO on Thu, 11/02/2010 - 15:54 in Blogs 1474 2 comments | report

February 11 – My PA is clear, the issue with the numbers 2 and 3 in accounts is personal. They’re leaving for less money and less security. She went out for a drink with them last evening to find out. And she thinks they’d stay if there was a change of boss.

So do I gamble on it?

Following the first rule of management I am going to sleep on it. But I have a very strong suspicion that I’ll be commencing a review of the future of the department tomorrow – on a formal basis. It’s not working, and whatever the rights and wrongs needs to be put right.

As for the year end – it’s an issue but not a disaster if we’re later than usual. The world will not stop revolving for lack of audited accounts for a month or two. We work from management data and never expect the audit to change much, and to date it never has.

Comments

Use an interim

wjhaddock | Fri, 12/02/2010 - 09:09 | Permalink

That's what we're for! (I'm on assignment so this isn't a personal pitch)

Assuming your review results in #1 going, then, rather than making an immediate decision about reallocating AM who I suspect, like you, would far rather be involved in the strategic and M&A work than the routine accounting and financial controls, go and find yourself an interim FD (I can recommend some agencies or I'll bet your Chairman knows some) to take you through the yearend while you make a considered decision on what you want your FD to be.

Regards

James

Thoughts

neiltonks | Fri, 12/02/2010 - 09:24 | Permalink

Thoughts of an outsider .. maybe valid maybe not as I don’t have your knowledge of the detail of what’s going on...

Do you really want these two to stay? What’s to say they wouldn’t just resign again the next time anything upset them, reasoning that “it worked last time”.
Has #1 actually been trained as a manager? It’s a dangerous myth that if someone is good at doing something, they’ll automatically be good at managing those who do the same thing. Good management is a skill which has to be learned like any other. Maybe she needs help, not unemployment.
People leave their jobs all the time because of disagreements with their boss. In this case it’s on your radar because it’s two people, and in a small department which you used to rule over. If one of the installation or maintenance guys quit because he didn’t like his boss’s management style, would you be as concerned?
Any review of the department is likely to result in #1’s departure, by choice or otherwise. Can you really afford to lose her skills along with those of the other two, who might decide to leave anyway?
Can you afford the almost-inevitable visit to an employment tribunal if you dismiss #1 (either overtly or by a dubious ‘redundancy’)? It costs a fortune in preparation time even if you ultimately win - which would not be at all certain anyway because on the face of it, she hasn’t done anything to justify that course of action.
Finally, if you did end up losing all three staff, you would probably have to take a temporary hands-on role in accounts again. Have you really got the time for that at the moment?

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